School is ignoring my call and emails. I dont understand.

[ItsAllConfusing]

Its the strangest thing. I usually correspond with school staff through email on a daily/weekly basis (guidance counselor, teacher/school psychologist) regarding my child who has had a difficult year. It has been 7 to 10 days and my 2 emails have still been unanswered. I copied 3 people on one email. These emails were simple, a records request and an update on possibly taking my child out of school.

 

I placed a call early this morning to the school administrator to ask about grade promotion and summer school. I left a message and I did not receive a response.

 

I emailed my child's teacher this morning to inquire about missed work and grade promotion and I did not receive a response. The teacher did however mass mail all the parents from the class tonight so that's proof she's ignoring my email. She usually responds the same day to any inquiry. All of the people I emailed usually responds the same day.

 

Even the school advisor I'm working with has not checked in and this person checks in a few times a week.

 

I feel bothered. I know I'm not being paranoid. I'm trying to get answers and school is out in two weeks and no one is responding. It's unlike them. My child was bullied this year and has missed a bunch of days and the administrator did involve the court system because of this but everything worked out. It seems like everyone went a bit silent after this.

 

I'm a very respectful person and so is my child. I'm not aggressive or pushy in any way so I don't understand this. I'm so frustrated.

 

Email is the way we generally communicate.

 

Do you think I'm overreacting?

[CC12]

I don't think you're being paranoid. They have collectively stopped responding to your emails and calls. I'd imagine the decision has been made that they can't/won't provide you with the kind of attention you're requesting.

 

Being in daily/weekly contact with school administration and teachers seems like a lot. I understand that your child has had a difficult year, but I wouldn't think they really have that kind of time on their hands to respond daily to the same child's parent. Have all of your emails been absolutely essential?

 

Though it probably mostly has to do with this:

 

These emails were simple, a records request and an update on possibly taking my child out of school.

 

Did you threaten to remove your child from the school? Or could your email have been interpreted in any way as a threat to remove your child? If it possibly came across as "If my demands aren't met then I will be removing my child" then I can understand why they've stopped responding to you. Do you think that's possible?

[IndigoNight]

Not sure what the school schedule is where you are, OP, but where I am it is the last week of school. Teachers, Admin, etc are swamped and not responding to anyone unless it is urgent.

 

Can you make an appointment? I'd try that.

[EstelleWinwood]

I don't know how old your child is, or what grade. This might make a difference to how much contact the school expects - the younger the child, the more contact is acceptable, but schools expect to be left alone, generally.

 

There may be a possibility that daily to weekly contact seems like too much to the school. Where I am (not the US) if a student has a problem there's a short period when the parent and school communicate to sort out what the child needs, then the school gets on with it and only contacts the parents if they have to. Weekly contact would be much too much, and daily contact would really be a problem for the school. That's here, not where you are. If the schools in your area are similar, you'll have to work out what you want them to know, and what information you want from them, and sort it out in one go then leave them alone.

 

If you feel you need to take your child out of school, to change schools or home school, bear in mind that for some reason this seems to upset the school you're leaving. Neither do they like to be asked to consider grade promotion - they like to choose to do that themselves. Even if it's warranted, they tend to feel that it should be up to them.

 

I don't know if any of this applies to your situation but it's what occurs to me when I read your post. I took my child out of three schools, twice to change schools and once to home school. Communication was ALWAYS sparse.

[d0nnivain]

Show up at school. It's much harder to ignore someone standing there.

[CautiouslyOptimistic]

Perhaps because the court system had been involved previously this year due to the bullying, the school has been advised by their lawyer to not reply to anything in writing?

[vanhalenfan]

Perhaps because the court system had been involved previously this year due to the bullying, the school has been advised by their lawyer to not reply to anything in writing?

 

I'd say this is likely!

[Carpe Diem]

I feel like there's more to this story.

The courts

Request for records

Threats to remove child

Daily\weekly contact

 

You sound exhausting.